Canadian cuisine

Canadian cooking represents the diversity of origins of the immigrant cultures that have come to Canada to make their new home. The influx of immigrants in recent years has done much to promote the culinary rebirth, and the West Coast is perhaps the area where the influence of California chefs can be felt in the production of innovative and healthy cuisine. Salmon, seafood, venison, elk and buffalo are again appearing on menus, together with wild rice, exotic grains and local berries.

Venison in black bean sauce

Thus, at the forefront of Canadian cuisine is the fusion of modern culinary techniques and uniquely Canadian ingredients, such as wild blueberries and Saskatoon berries, fiddleheads (fiddlehead ferns, fiddlehead greens), mussels, caribou, bison, salmon, wild rice, maple syrup, and locally produced wine and ice wine, beer, and cheeses.

Maple syrup

If Japanese, Chinese and various South-East Asian outlets are enjoying a comeback on the West Coast, the Prairies cuisine offers traditional Native American food, including turkey, venison, cornbread, popcorn and the superb beef thanks to the quality of Prairie grazing. In addition, the Prairie region draws both on the Ukranian, German and Scandinavian traditions of its population and on exotic food such as caribou and Arctic char. 

Roasted arctic char with brocolli

Quebec food is predictably French at heart, but boasts specialities of its own, such as maple syrup, cipâte (beef pie), cretons (spicy pâte), tourtière (meat and potato pie), trempette (bread, cream and maple syrup) and poutine (home-made frites, cheese and gravy). Montreal is well known for its smoked meats, beef sandwiches and crispy roast chicken.

Poutine

Pea, onion and cabbage soup are popular everywhere in Canada.  

French onion soup

Fish and seafood are the Maritimes' great staples. In particular, the region is renowned for lobsters, Digby scallops and Malpeque oysters. Solomon Gundy (marinated herring), finnan haddie (smoked haddock), rappie pie (potatoes and salt pork), fiddlehead (an edible fern), marakin (a Cape Breton sausage), Lunenburg pudding (a German sausage), scrapple (fried pork) and dulse (an edible seaweed) make more unusual seafood dishes.

Digby scallops and clams

Newfoundland is famous with its often bizarre cuisine. Cod tongues are a favourite, along with capelin (tiny fish) and brewis (soaked hardtack biscuit boiled up with cod). Seal-flipper pie is another specialty. Also common is summer savory, moose, rabbit pie and seal soup.

Cod tongues

Canadian puddings can include such delicacies as fat archies (biscuits and dates), grunt (stewed fruits and dumplings) and forach (oatmeal, cream and sugar). Such favourite puddings as partridgeberries and bakeapples are usually eaten with ice-cream or as jam on bread.